For many years, articles molded from fiber reinforced thermosetting polyester resins have been widely used. Typically, these articles are formed by heating under pressure a uniformly dispersed blend of a mixture of filling, reinforcing and process aiding ingredients and a mixture of matrix forming ingredients such as an unsaturated polyester dissolved of dispersed in a monomeric diluent. The formability and low cost of these resins have made them attractive in many nondecorative applications. However, their characteristically rouch surface has prevented their use in decorative applications, and particularly in applications where it is desirable to have painted surfaces. This surface problem is caused by the relatively large shrinkage of the polyester matrix during the curing operation as compared with the shrinkage of the reinforcing glass fibers; the matrix simply shrinks away from the fibers leaving them protruding from the surface. To date, it has been necessary to either polish this surface or to add a rigid thermoplastic material to the composition to produce a low profile polyester composition as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,642,672, 3,701,748, and 3,711,432 and my application Ser. No. 424,574, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,078. It is believed that the thermoplastic material interferes with the shrinkage of the polyester matrix, and thereby prevents the formation of the rough surface. However, the addition of the thermoplastic resin adds to the cost of the material and also presents problems during the mixing and thickening steps in the preparation of the formulation.